


bella notte (knees weak arms spaghetti)

by marcel



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Restaurant, Baekhyun is bad at feelings, M/M, Pasta
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-27
Updated: 2014-05-27
Packaged: 2018-08-09 12:15:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7801489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marcel/pseuds/marcel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Restaurant!AU. Baekhyun isn’t sure how to feel when his BFF Chanyeol starts to show interest in their new employee.</p>
            </blockquote>





	bella notte (knees weak arms spaghetti)

**Author's Note:**

> originally posted [here](http://baeconandeggs.livejournal.com/11825.html). i dont know anything abt italian food or working in restaurants but i DO know my lady & the tramp references. special thanks to nicole for letting me write 1/4 of this on her couch when we were sposed to be watching lotr (clap emoji)
> 
> (originally posted on 5/27/15)

“If it wasn’t for you bribing me with free lunch,” Baekhyun sighs, folding his legs underneath him as he spears a forkful of spaghetti, “I swear I’d spend my breaks asleep.”

Next to him, Chanyeol blinks a few times, paused with a pasta-filled takeout container in one hand and his own fork in the other. “Waiting tables makes you that tired?”

“It’s hard work,” Baekhyun whines, stuffing the noodles into his mouth and reaching over for more. The hood of Chanyeol’s car creaks under them as he moves. Maybe they shouldn’t use it as a seat so often.

“You could ask Junmyeon about putting another server on your shifts,” Chanyeol suggests. He glances over at the door they had come through, leading out of the alley the car is parked in and back into the restaurant. “Or… I mean, you wouldn’t just quit, right?”

Baekhyun shakes his head. “Every time I consider quitting, I get this mental image of Junmyeon with teary eyes, giving me that ‘ _Con Finezza needs you_ ’ line,” he says, frowning. “And then I remember how good the alfredo sauce is, and it just goes downhill from there. I’m trapped.”

Chanyeol laughs around the spaghetti in his mouth. “I guess. Is it really that bad, though? Enough to make you want to leave?”

“I don’t _really_ want to,” Baekhyun sighs, staring wistfully at the noodles wrapped around his fork. “It’s just... we’ve been down one server for less than two weeks, and it’s already exhausting.”

“Hey, I’m the _only_ delivery driver,” Chanyeol points out. “How do you think I feel on busy nights?”

“That’s different,” Baekhyun insists. “You get to sit in your car with music and air conditioning for your whole shift. And you don’t have to deal with rude customers.”

“No one is ever unhappy when their pizza arrives,” Chanyeol agrees, tapping his fork against his mouth.

“Exactly,” Baekhyun huffs, stabbing a meatball with more force than he probably needs to. “Meanwhile, me and Jongdae are trying to coordinate our shifts, Sehun and Jongin can only work nights, Minseok wants to go back to school, Yixing didn’t even _study_ Italian cuisine, and-- hey!”

Their forks clash as they both try to spear the last meatball, knocking it out of the container and onto the ground.

“Ah, what a waste,” Baekhyun sighs, watching the meatball roll away.

“Don’t worry about it,” Chanyeol says with a shrug, twirling the last few noodles around his fork. “There’s some stray dogs living around here, I’m sure they’ll find it tonight.”

Baekhyun snorts. “Coworkers’ lunch break leftovers for dinner? Sounds romantic.”

“It could be,” Chanyeol muses around the fork in his mouth. “I think I saw a movie like that. Dogs on a dinner date, sharing spaghetti.”

“That was _Lady and the Tramp_ , it’s a Disney movie, and you’re a nerd,” Baekhyun laughs. He tosses his own fork into the now-empty container and takes it from Chanyeol as he stands up. “I think my break’s over. Are you coming back in?”

Chanyeol shakes his head, leaning back on the hood and stretching his arms up. “I gotta clean my car out first. There’s always like, a thousand pizzas to deliver on Saturdays.” He smiles at Baekhyun with the prongs of his fork between his teeth, and Baekhyun gives an exaggerated grimace as he pulls it out. “I’ll be in in a few minutes. See you later?”

“Later,” Baekhyun agrees with a grin, unable to keep the sour expression for very long.

He heads up the stairs to the back door, dropping the empty container with their forks in the trash as he goes. Just before he pushes the door open, he glances back at Chanyeol. He’s still lying on the car hood, still smiling a little, but there’s a crease between his eyebrows like he’s thinking hard about something.

Baekhyun stays a few seconds longer than he means to, wondering about it, but then the sounds of the restaurant reach him and he remembers what he’s really supposed to be doing. He turns away from Chanyeol and lets the door shut behind him.

He takes a moment to look around at the occupied tables, noting which are his to wait on. The restaurant isn’t terribly busy - Con Finezza never is, this early in the afternoon - so instead of picking up his serving apron and notebook, Baekhyun has time to slip behind the counter and wash the bits of spaghetti sauce from the take-out container off his hands.

“Were you outside with loverboy again?” someone asks amusedly, and Baekhyun looks up to see Jongdae, another server, smiling at him over the counter with a tray of drinks balanced in one hand.

Baekhyun makes a face. “Don’t be gross.”

“I’m kidding,” Jongdae laughs, putting the tray down on the countertop. “So, hey, wanna help me out by taking my tables for like, ten minutes?”

“Dude, I have my _own_ tables to deal with,” Baekhyun says, turning away to dry his hands, but he can practically feel Jongdae pouting at him.

“Please, Baek,” he whines. “I just need to go ask Junmyeon something, it’s important.”

Baekhyun rolls his eyes. “It is not. You’re just gonna ask if he wants a drink so you have an excuse to do a coffee run and steal Starbucks’ wifi.”

“Staying connected is important,” Jongdae insists. “Besides, you know we’re understaffed. Junmyeon is stressed out, and I’m just trying to do everyone a favour.”

“Caffeine doesn’t help stress, idiot.”

“I knew I could count on you,” Jongdae says over him, already untying his apron and stepping away from the counter. “Thanks for this, I owe you one. You’re the best, bye!” And he slinks off the staff room, winking at Baekhyun over his shoulder.

Baekhyun grumbles a little as he ties his own apron around his waist. Count on Jongdae to leave in the middle of his shift and call it an act of love. With a sigh, Baekhyun glances around the restaurant, counting which of Jongdae’s tables he’s now in charge of. Across the room, he spies Chanyeol heading out the backdoor with a stack of pizza boxes for delivery. He catches Baekhyun’s eye and pauses to give him a bright grin before slipping out.

Baekhyun snorts, shaking his head a little as he picks up the tray Jongdae had left behind. Covering for Jongdae isn’t _that_ annoying, if he’s being honest - or maybe Chanyeol had chased the annoyance out of his head with his goofy smile. Either way, it’s suddenly a lot easier to put on a smile of his own and head out to the waiting tables.

  
\--

By the time Baekhyun gets home to his apartment, he’s too tired and achey to do much other than drop his coat on the floor and heave a long sigh. He hears a mumbled ‘ _welcome home_ ’ as he’s dragging his feet past the living room, and looks up to see Kyungsoo on the couch with a book in his lap. He doesn’t look interested in much other than the page he’s on, but Baekhyun knows his roommate wouldn’t have come out of his bedroom if he didn’t want to be disturbed.

Baekhyun kicks off his shoes and heads over to collapse face-first onto the other end of the couch with a groan. Kyungsoo doesn’t even flinch. “How was work?” he asks, turning a page.

With great effort, Baekhyun rolls over to frown at the ceiling. “Ugh.”

“Rough day?”

“Rough week,” Baekhyun grunts, rubbing his temples. “Junmyeon still hasn’t found a replacement for Dongwoo, so it’s been just me and Jongdae most days - and Jongdae’s an idiot,” he grumbles. “It wasn’t even that busy, but we’re still practically scrambling to cover everything. It’s _exhausting_.”

Kyungsoo just hums, eyes still on his book. Pouting, Baekhyun leans over sideways to press himself into Kyungsoo’s side, snuggling against his shoulder, and after a moment Kyungsoo shifts so he can still turn pages without pushing Baekhyun away. Whether Kyungsoo doesn’t mind the forced affection or has just gotten used to it in the time they’ve lived together, Baekhyun isn’t sure.

They sit in silence for a few minutes before Baekhyun breaks it, lifting his head a little. “Kyungsoo?”

“What, Baekhyun.”

“You’re looking for a job, right?

Kyungsoo puts his book down with a sigh. “I told you--”

“Please,” Baekhyun whines over him, putting on his best pout. “Just apply, _please_? Everyone else Junmyeon’s interviewed is a complete idiot.”

“Like you, for example?” Kyungsoo mutters. Baekhyun decides to ignore him, just this once, and wraps his arms around Kyungsoo’s waist.

“Con Finezza needs you,” he says as seriously as he can manage. “ _I_ need you.”

Kyungsoo snorts and pries him off, shoving him back to his side of the couch. “I don’t know if I can stand seeing you any more than I already do.”

“You’re the one that asked me to live here,” Baekhyun huffs, crossing his arms. “Besides, I have to be _professional_ at work, and I’m great at it. You’ll see.”

“Can’t wait,” Kyungsoo says dryly, picking up his book again.

Baekhyun immediately leans back into his space. “Does that mean you’ll apply?”

It takes Kyungsoo a moment to realize what he said, and he frowns in annoyance. “I meant-- argh. Maybe.” He takes one look at Baekhyun’s waggling eyebrows and swats him away. “Stop that. I’ll think about it, alright?”

He turns away and reopens his book, effectively ending the conversation - but when Baekhyun peeks over at him a few minutes later, Kyungsoo’s brow is furrowed in thought, and he hasn’t even turned the page. Baekhyun only just manages to keep his triumphant grin to himself.

  
\--

Baekhyun only has to bring it up twice the next day before Kyungsoo heaves a sigh and agrees to go to the restaurant with him. They leave the apartment early enough so that they have time to talk to Junmyeon before Baekhyun's shift starts, but Baekhyun tries to hurry them up anyway.

“This is just to meet Junmyeon,” Kyungsoo insists for the third time as they approach the front doors, but Baekhyun knows the sleek black folder under Kyungsoo’s arm has at least three copies of his resume inside.

The restaurant is quiet when they push through the doors, still a bit too early for the usual lunch rush to have started. Chanyeol looks up from where he's hovering around the front counter, and Baekhyun grins at him before leading Kyungsoo to the staff room by the arm.

The hallway before Junmyeon's office is short, but in those few steps Baekhyun can feel Kyungsoo beginning to drag his feet. Baekhyun keeps tugging him along anyway, refusing to let him chicken out when they're so close. Kyungsoo is the most competent person Baekhyun knows; there's no way this interview won't turn out in his favour.

He even considers telling Kyungsoo as much, just to get him to stop hesitating, but then the office door is suddenly swinging open and Junmyeon appears in front of them.

"Oh," he says, startled, but his surprised expression turns quickly into a smile. "You're here early."

Baekhyun lets the chance for praise slide and pulls Kyungsoo forward by his elbow. "Your newest employee," he announces, ignoring the glare he can feel Kyungsoo burning into the side of his head.

"You'd like to apply?" Junmyeon asks, turning his attention on Kyungsoo, who clutches his folder a little tighter.

"Um, yes," he says, then clears his throat. "But I can come back another day, if you're busy right now."

Junmyeon shrugs and steps back, gesturing through his office door. “I'm pretty sure I have a few minutes,” he says with a kind smile.

Kyungsoo shoots Baekhyun a nervous look over his shoulder as he follows Junmyeon inside, and Baekhyun gives him a smile and a quick thumbs-up before the door closes between them. Things are looking up, he decides, practically skipping back down the hall to the front of the restaurant. He still has a few minutes before his shift, so he leans back against the wall to wait for Kyungsoo.

It only takes a few seconds for Chanyeol to wander over and join him. “Who was that?” he asks, peeking around Baekhyun at the staff-only door.

“Kyungsoo, my beloved roomie,” Baekhyun sighs, tipping his head back. “He’s looking for a job and we’re stretched thin here, so--”

“Wait,” Chanyeol cuts him off, wide-eyed. “He’s gonna work _here_?”

“Yeah, maybe,” Baekhyun says slowly, giving Chanyeol a weird look. “Is that an issue, or what?”

“N-no issue,” Chanyeol says quickly, glancing at the door again. “It’s, uh, you know. Whatever.”

Jongdae calls him away for a delivery before Baekhyun can ask anything else, leaving him staring confusedly after Chanyeol and wondering if he should be concerned - but Kyungsoo reappears a moment later, and Baekhyun shoves those thoughts away in favour of pouncing on his roommate.

“So are you hired yet?” he asks, grinning when Kyungsoo gives him a half-hearted shove. “Come on, how’d it go? You did great, right?”

Kyungsoo shrugs the shoulder Baekhyun isn’t clinging to. “It was okay, I guess.”

“Just okay?” Baekhyun steps back to give him a worried look. “Come on, dude, my shift starts in like, two minutes. Don’t do this to me now.”

“Why are you more invested in this than I am?” Kyungsoo asks with a laugh, but Baekhyun doesn’t crack. “It was barely a real interview, I mean--”

Baekhyun shushes him, giving Kyungsoo the most serious look he can muster up. “Just tell me - _good_ okay or _bad_ okay?”

And finally, Kyungsoo smiles a tiny, excited smile. “Good okay.”

  
\--

Sure enough, Kyungsoo gets a phone call from Junmyeon only a few days later, and soon he's rooting through Baekhyun's closet for a shirt to wear on his first day at the restaurant. Baekhyun feels a little proud as he writes Kyungsoo's name in on the employee schedule - proud of Kyungsoo, mostly, but also of himself, for scouting such talent. Kyungsoo always did like kitchens, after all.

Jongdae is the one in charge of Kyungsoo's training shifts, which is sort of a downer. Baekhyun does still get to witness the first time Kyungsoo drops a full plate of linguine, though, so he doesn't mind so much.

Once Kyungsoo knows the basics, he's put on the same shifts as Baekhyun for the most part. It's fun to work with him, even if their only real interaction is making faces when they pass each other on the way to the kitchen. Baekhyun finds that he works harder when he's with Kyungsoo - whether to prove to him that he doesn't always slack off or to keep up with Kyungsoo's determined pace, he isn't sure - and when they leave the restaurant, Kyungsoo lets Baekhyun lean on him for the whole subway ride home.

He still sits with Chanyeol on his car during their breaks, like always - except recently, Chanyeol seems to be acting a little different. Not _bad_ -different, but a weird sort of subtle-different that Baekhyun can't help noticing. Mostly, it’s how Chanyeol seems to be really curious about Kyungsoo, asking how he's doing nearly every day. It’s not long before it starts to grate on Baekhyun's nerves.

"He's doing okay, I guess," Baekhyun sighs, feeling like a broken record the past few days. "I told you, he's a quick learner. Junmyeon keeps thanking me for bringing him in."

"That's good," Chanyeol says with a smile, the one he seems to always have when Kyungsoo is brought up. "I hope he likes it here."

Baekhyun rolls his eyes and lets his head fall back against the car’s windshield. "Dude, why do you care?" he asks, exasperated. "You're not even a server, you barely see him."

Chanyeol shrugs. "I just wanna know how he's doing."

"Why?" Baekhyun presses. He looks up in time to see Chanyeol glance away, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I don't know, he's... cute, I guess."

Baekhyun stares at him. "You think Kyungsoo is _cute_?"

With a shy smile, Chanyeol turns back to face him. "Yeah."

It takes a moment for Baekhyun's brain to catch up. There's been little things he's noticed - Chanyeol watching Kyungsoo while waiting at the delivery pick-up counter, or staring after Kyungsoo whenever he rushes off into the kitchen - but he had figured it was just Chanyeol's usual over-eagerness for making friends.

Chanyeol's end-of-break phone alarm goes off before Baekhyun can find anything to say. He stands up to go back inside, tossing a standard _see you later_ over his shoulder - but he pauses by the door and turns back around.

“Hey, uh,” Chanyeol starts, his cheeks a little pink. “You’re not gonna tell him, right? Kyungsoo?”

Baekhyun blinks at him a couple times. "What? No, of course not."

Chanyeol smiles at him in thanks, giving a little wave that Baekhyun barely has time to return before he disappears back into the restaurant. Baekhyun keeps his eyes on the doorway even after he's gone.

He feels weird, suddenly, uncomfortable as he thinks about how Chanyeol basically just confessed to him - which is stupid, he decides. He shouldn’t feel _anything_ about Chanyeol crushing on Kyungsoo, or whatever is going on. It’s none of his business. He takes a stubbornly deep breath as he slides off the hood to head back inside, refusing to acknowledge the strange feeling.

Even so, the vague discomfort stays throughout the rest of Baekhyun’s shift. By the time it's over and he's climbing the stairs to his apartment, he can’t even think about Chanyeol’s embarrassed smile without feeling like something in his chest is twisting.

He does his best to ignore it, flopping on the couch beside Kyungsoo and picking at his reheated dinner. Kyungsoo has his nose in another book, but that doesn’t stop Baekhyun from trying for conversation, asking about his day at work and nodding along with the mumbles he gets in response. He considers asking Kyungsoo about Chanyeol, but stops himself - bringing it up with Kyungsoo won’t help the weird uncomfortable feeling he’s trying to keep his mind off of.

Or, Baekhyun wonders, would it? Maybe it's just because he's keeping a secret - Chanyeol's dumb secret that made him feel so weird in the first place. Maybe if he tells Kyungsoo, the feeling will leave.

"Hey, uh," he starts, speaking up before he can chicken out. "Speaking of work. You know our delivery driver?"

Kyungsoo hums. "Chanyeol, right?"

"Yeah." Baekhyun swallows a wave of guilt and puts on a sly smile. "He thinks you're cute."

He expects Kyungsoo to laugh, but he doesn't. Paused midway through a page-turn, Kyungsoo blinks a few times before glancing up at Baekhyun. "What?"

"Chanyeol thinks you're cute," Baekhyun repeats, feigning nonchalance as he leans back on the couch. "He told me earlier."

"Oh."

Kyungsoo doesn't seem to be finding it nearly as ridiculous as he should. Baekhyun opens his mouth to say so, to make him see how funny it really is and _laugh_ , but--

But he stops, because Kyungsoo is looking down at his half-turned page with a thoughtful expression, pink tinting his cheeks. Baekhyun watches until all desire to laugh has bled out of him.

Calmly, smoothly, he stands up and heads back to the kitchen to put his half-full plate back in the fridge. He takes a deep breath over the sink, then retreats to his bedroom, his stomach feeling like it’s been twisted into knots.

  
\--

After that, Chanyeol and Kyungsoo start to talk.

It’s not much, at first - a few words when Kyungsoo passes close to Chanyeol on the floor, or when Chanyeol is waiting on a pick-up and Kyungsoo has a minute to spare - but one day they figure out which of their breaks coincide, and they become… something. Friends, maybe.

Baekhyun still spends his breaks with Chanyeol, but they seem to run out of things to talk about more often than not - or, Baekhyun does, at least, because Chanyeol always has a lot to say about Kyungsoo and all the cool stuff the two of them talk about. It stings Baekhyun a little, the knowledge that he isn’t the only one Chanyeol spends his breaks chatting with, but he tries his best to shake it off. Chanyeol and Kyungsoo are coworkers too, so of course they talk to each other. It’s stupid to be sad about something obvious like that.

The sting grows little by little, though, as Chanyeol starts to pay less attention to Baekhyun in general - pausing conversations with him to greet Kyungsoo, zoning out to stare as Kyungsoo passes by, talking about Kyungsoo with his cheeks a little pink. It doesn’t help that Kyungsoo doesn’t just ignore Chanyeol, as Baekhyun thought he would at first. He smiles at Chanyeol rather a lot, and returns his across-restaurant waves, and fidgets like he’s nervous when Chanyeol stands close to him.

Baekhyun only knows all this because he watches them so often. At first it was just to make sure his two BFFs were getting along, but they do, and now it seems to be a little more than that. Over the next week, Baekhyun watches the two of them stand closer and closer together each time they chat in the corner of the restaurant, and some weird sort of bitterness rises higher and higher in his chest.

He tries his best to stamp out the feeling, mostly because he’s not entirely sure why he’s having it at all. Chanyeol and Kyungsoo are both close friends of his, and they also might be crushing on each other. He should be happy for them, maybe. Proud, or something.

On Monday, Chanyeol leads a smiling Kyungsoo to the back door with a gentle hand on his wrist, and Baekhyun stops watching.

  
\--

Of course, that doesn’t stop him from talking about it, or from complaining to Jongdae before his shift a few days later.

“I can’t believe he’s spending more time with _Kyungsoo_ than with me,” Baekhyun whines, slumping over the counter while Jongdae flips through their schedule on the other side. “I mean, I’m his best friend. Don’t I have priority?”

He lifts his head to glare at Jongdae when he doesn’t answer right away, staring until he hums in what Baekhyun assumes is agreement. “Right. But I seriously can’t remember the last conversation we had that wasn’t somehow about Kyungsoo.” He sits up to rest his chin in his palms. “It’s ridiculous. Have you seen the way he follows Kyungsoo around?”

Jongdae rolls his eyes and puts the schedule down. “So what? He used to do the same to you, didn’t he?”

Baekhyun scowls at him. “You’re not helping.”

“Okay, okay,” Jongdae snickers, crossing his arms on the countertop. “So they hang out a lot. What’s the big deal? I thought you wanted them to be friends.”

“I do,” Baekhyun says, then sighs. “Or… I thought I did?” He frowns down at the counter. “But they’re more than that now, they’re flirty and gross and it’s _weird_.”

Jongdae raises an eyebrow at him. “Are you jealous?”

“Of course not,” Baekhyun scoffs, crossing his arms over his chest. “Why would I be?”

But he is, maybe. Baekhyun refuses to let himself even consider it at first, but throughout his shift he catches himself thinking about it more and more. He’s pretty sure he would be okay with Chanyeol crushing on his roommate - or vice versa - if he could have his friendship with Chanyeol go back to the way it used to be. Is it really jealousy that he’s feeling?

No, Baekhyun decides at the end of his shift, not jealousy. He just wants his best friend back, and he’s going to tell Chanyeol exactly that. He hangs up his apron and finds his jacket before heading to the back door, out to the alley where Chanyeol’s car is parked. He pushes the door open and sets his eyes on Chanyeol, taking a breath to yell at him until he listens and everything can go back to normal, but--

But someone else is there with Chanyeol. Kyungsoo is in front of him, leant back against the side of Chanyeol's car and looking up at him. Chanyeol is standing so close, their fronts nearly pressed together, his hands on either side of Kyungsoo's shoulders. It takes Baekhyun a moment to realize that Chanyeol is leaning in, pressing forward as Kyungsoo closes his eyes--

They're going to kiss. All the air leaves Baekhyun's lungs and he backs up as fast as he can, hoping the door shuts quietly behind him as he scrambles away from it. He makes it to the staff room struggling for breath, and leans against the wall to try to reason with himself.

He should be happy, right? About his two best friends getting together? He should congratulate them, or something. It shouldn't feel like a punch to the gut. He shouldn't feel like he can't breathe.

The sound of his heart pounding painfully drowns out all sound from the front of the restaurant. Baekhyun leaves as quietly as he can.

At home, he goes to bed. He'll feel better when he wakes up, he decides. Nothing like this - like something's being carved out of his chest every time he thinks about Chanyeol leaning in to kiss Kyungsoo. He tugs his blankets up over his face and shuts his eyes tight, willing himself to sleep.

He's still awake when Kyungsoo comes home a few hours later. Baekhyun stays in bed instead of going out to greet him, pulling the covers up higher when his roommate knocks tentatively at his door.

“Baek?” he calls quietly. "Are you awake?"

Baekhyun doesn't move, and Kyungsoo knocks again. "Can we talk? About... about Chanyeol."

Baekhyun has to hold back a bitter laugh. Of course Kyungsoo wants to tell him about Chanyeol, about their relationship, about kissing him--

He cuts the thought off and waits, hoping his breathing sounds calm instead of pained. After a few seconds Kyungsoo sighs and moves away down the hall, giving up for the night. Baekhyun rolls over and curls up, feeling like he's going to either throw up or shake apart.

He ignores both. He falls asleep eventually.

\--

In a dream, Baekhyun follows a dog through gaps between buildings all the while feeling like he’s wading through water. The dog keeps running until the sun disappears but their path stays lit, and the next turn brings them to the alley behind Con Finezza.

Suddenly it’s not a dog but a person, and then two people, and then Chanyeol and Kyungsoo sitting together at a candlelit table, sharing a plate of spaghetti. They each have one end of a noodle, but Baekhyun can see that they’re connected. The entire plate is just one long noodle, and eventually it will bring their mouths together.

Behind them, Junmyeon is playing the accordion. Baekhyun pinches himself, hard.

He wakes up and stares at his ceiling, heart beating faster than it should be. Scrubbing a hand over his face, he sits up to look at his clock and sighs. It’s too early to be having strange Disney-inspired stress dreams about his best friend and his roommate. He tells himself this, sternly, and lies back down.

The rest of the night passes in a tired blur of tossing and turning, kicking blankets off and pulling them back up, staring at his clock and counting down the minutes until his alarm goes off.

  
\--

Even as tired and gross as he feels, Baekhyun manages to drag himself to work. Kyungsoo outpaces him easily within the first hour and Baekhyun lets it happen, too tired to bring out his competitive streak.

It doesn't help that Chanyeol can't seem to keep his eyes off of him. Baekhyun feels his stare from across the restaurant and turns away purposefully, doing his best to ignore it. It seems ironic to finally have Chanyeol's attention now, after watching him revolve around Kyungsoo for weeks, only to look away whenever their gazes happen to meet.

Still, Baekhyun can't help but wonder why Chanyeol is suddenly so interested. It's probably because he looks so terrible, Baekhyun figures, after catching a glimpse of his reflection. He probably should've tried to hide the dark circles under his eyes before his shift started. He survives the first half of it without too much of a headache, somehow, and starts his break with a feeling of sheer relief.

Chanyeol appears by the back door when Baekhyun heads toward it, catching his eye before Baekhyun can pretend not to see. He gestures outside with his eyebrows raised - an invitation to join him, to go sit on his car like they always do--

But Baekhyun backs away, lifting his silent phone to his ear as an excuse. He tries for an apologetic smile that probably comes off as more of a grimace, and sees Chanyeol's expression dim before he makes himself turn away to leave.

He spends his break wandering the convenience store down the street from the restaurant, not entirely sure why he didn't go with Chanyeol instead. He wanted so badly for Chanyeol to pay attention to him, to sit with him like usual, to be his friend again - but chickens out when a perfect chance presents itself?

Maybe it’s work stress, Baekhyun considers, pacing down the coffee aisle for the third time. Maybe it’s lack of sleep making him incapable of logical reasoning. Or, if he’s annoyed enough with the weird twisting in his gut to be honest with himself, maybe it’s because he can’t look at Chanyeol without thinking of him and Kyungsoo kissing against his car. Baekhyun just might be too tired to pretend anymore.

He heads straight for the staff room when he arrives back at the restaurant, but Kyungsoo catches him as he passes the front counter. “Hey, you feeling okay?”

Baekhyun huffs impatiently. “Why, do I not look okay?”

“You look like you need sleep,” Kyungsoo says with a frown. He glances over Baekhyun’s face uncertainly, almost worriedly, and Baekhyun’s annoyance grows. “Maybe you should--”

“I should what?” Baekhyun snaps. “Take off early? I’m not gonna go home just ‘cause you think I look tired.”

Kyungsoo glares at him. “Don’t be a dick. I’m only asking because Chanyeol said you seemed off.”

Baekhyun bites out a laugh. “Of course he told you that. I bet he tells you everything.”

“What?” Kyungsoo furrows his brow. “What’s that supposed to mean? Baekhyun--”

“Whatever, I’m fine,” Baekhyun growls, shoving past him. “Go take your break with your boyfriend.”

He pushes the staff room door open with probably more force than he needs to, and leans back against it for a few minutes to focus on getting his breath back and shoving down the bitterness rising in his throat. Once he feels steady enough to stand up straight, he heads over to the sink to splash his face, hoping the cold will shock him into regaining his balance.

It takes longer than usual to retie his apron because of his shaking fingers, and by the time he steps out to continue his shift, he’s definitely late. Jongdae raises an eyebrow at him as he passes by with a tray of drinks, but Baekhyun ignores him, puts on his best smile, and heads out onto the floor. He avoids Kyungsoo’s gaze for the rest of the night and doesn’t let himself so much as glance at the delivery pick-up counter.

Eventually, the last customers leave and there’s only some tables to wipe down before Baekhyun can go home and sleep. He’s unbelievably tired, even more exhausted than he was before Kyungsoo got hired, when his shifts were longer and busier. Was that really only a couple weeks ago? He gets so distracted thinking about it while he puts the surface cleaner away that he doesn’t notice Chanyeol approaching, and when he looks up the other boy is already too close for Baekhyun to slip away from. He looks nervous, clenching and unclenching his fists in an un-Chanyeol-like show of uncertainty.

“Um, Baek,” he starts in a small voice, the smallest Baekhyun has ever heard him use. “Can we… talk for a minute?”

Baekhyun knows he should say yes. He should say sure, Chanyeol, and sit down to hear him out. But he doesn’t want Chanyeol to tell him more about Kyungsoo, he doesn’t want Chanyeol to be apologetic and frown at him - or worse, smile when he talks about Kyungsoo, like he can’t keep the delight off his face. He doesn’t want Chanyeol to be that happy with someone else.

Startled by his own thought, Baekhyun steps back. “I-I have to go.”

“Wait,” Chanyeol starts, reaching out, “Baekhyun--”

But Baekhyun doesn’t wait, he pushes through the front doors and doesn’t look back even when Chanyeol calls his name again. He gets all the way to the subway station before he shivers and realizes he forgot his jacket.

Whatever, he decides, folding his arms over his chest against the frigid night air. At least this way he can tell himself he’s shaking from the cold, and not from the force of his heart pounding in his chest.

It’s not that he wants Chanyeol to just sit with him, talk to him, be a good friend like he used to. There’s more and Baekhyun knows it - it just took until now, with someone else holding Chanyeol’s heart, for him to understand why his insides won’t stop tying themselves into knots.

He wants Chanyeol to be with him, to press _him_ against his car in the dark, to kiss _him_ and not Kyungsoo.

Baekhyun stumbles into his apartment feeling impossibly worse than he did when he woke up. He kicks off his shoes halfway down the hall and slams his bedroom door, but climbs slowly into bed, like it hurts to move.

It’s unfair to blame anyone but himself for all this - how bad he feels, how long it took him to get it together, how bad he’s messed up any and all hope - but the worst part, probably, is that Chanyeol was out of reach before Baekhyun was even ready to lift his arms.

He wants Chanyeol to want him, and it hurts worse than anything to watch him fall in love with someone else.

  
\--

Baekhyun calls in sick the next day and sleeps through the entire morning, only getting out of bed when the hunger in his stomach hurts more than the rest of him does. He moves to the couch for the afternoon, wrapping up in a blanket to binge-watch one of the TV dramas he has recorded.

He loses track of time until he hears the front door open, and realizes it's gotten late enough that Kyungsoo's work shift is over. Baekhyun lowers the TV volume to listen to the sounds of his roommate shuffling around in the kitchen, wondering how his shift went - was the restaurant busy today? Was it hard work without Baekhyun there? Did anyone ask about him?

The noise in the kitchen stops suddenly, and Baekhyun freezes as Kyungsoo's quiet footsteps approach. He comes into the living room slowly and moves around the side of the couch until Baekhyun can see him and what he's holding in his hands - Baekhyun's favourite mug, the one with the dog on it, full of steaming hot tea. Kyungsoo gives him a tiny smile when Baekhyun meets his eye.

They haven’t really been talking much recently, Baekhyun realizes, despite living and working together. He can’t remember the last time he had a real sit-down conversation with Kyungsoo. He takes the mug when Kyungsoo offers it and shifts his legs over, making room on the couch beside him. Kyungsoo doesn’t hesitate to sit, still smiling just a little.

The wordless comfort is nice, Baekhyun decides. He shifts again, leaning over to press tentatively against him, and Kyungsoo immediately lifts his arm, welcoming. Baekhyun can’t help smiling a little as he snuggles in under it, reveling in the warm contact Kyungsoo so rarely gives out.

They sit pressed together for a few minutes, watching the TV screen but not paying it much real attention, before Kyungsoo speaks up. “I have to tell you something,” he says quietly, turning to give Baekhyun a serious look.

Baekhyun swallows hard, but nods, looking down at his mug. He braces himself for whatever dating announcement Kyungsoo is inevitably going to spring on him - it’s the next step after kissing, isn’t it? He really shouldn’t be surprised--

“He’s not my boyfriend,” Kyungsoo says softly. “Chanyeol, I mean.”

Baekhyun blinks at his tea, then sits up to stare at Kyungsoo. “Yes, he is.”

“He isn’t,” Kyungsoo repeats, shaking his head.

“But I saw--” Baekhyun starts, then clamps his mouth shut before he can say the rest. _I saw him kissing you and I can’t stop thinking about it because I wanted it to be me instead_. “I see you two talking all the time, flirting and stuff. He likes you.”

“Maybe he does,” Kyungsoo sighs, reaching out to pry Baekhyun’s fingers away from where they’re clamped tightly around his mug. “But we’re just friends. I mean, he’s nice. He’s interesting and fun to hang out with, but…” He shrugs, giving Baekhyun another small smile as he puts the mug down on the floor. "I thought maybe-- after you told me he thought I was cute, I tried to see if I could... think of him that way. But I can't, not really." He shifts a little to get more comfortable and tugs Baekhyun back down to lean against him again. "Besides, I don't think _he_ can, either."

Baekhyun narrows his eyes as much as he can with his cheek pressed to Kyungsoo’s shoulder. "What do you mean?"

"There's... someone else he's stuck on."

“...Oh.” The sinking feeling returns to Baekhyun's stomach. "Who is it?"

Kyungsoo hums, running a gentle hand down his back. "I don't really know for sure," he sighs, "but there's this friend he talks about all the time. Apparently they used to hang out a lot, but he’s always been too shy to say anything about his feelings. He’s worried that his friend doesn’t feel the same way about him.”

"Maybe his friend is just an idiot," Baekhyun says, frowning bitterly.

"Maybe he is," Kyungsoo agrees. "You and them would have that in common."

Baekhyun pulls away to squint at him. "And here I thought you were being nice to me."

"This is the nicest I've ever been," Kyungsoo says seriously, turning a little to face him directly. "Listen. I think you should go talk to Chanyeol." His eyes search Baekhyun's, and he continues a little slower. "Your friend. That you used to hang out with a lot."

"But I--" Baekhyun cuts himself off, his heart picking up as Kyungsoo's words repeat themselves in his head. Finally, the dots connect themselves. "I. Oh."

Kyungsoo barely has time to move the tea mug out of his path before Baekhyun jumps up from the couch. "Got it now?" he asks, smiling wryly.

Baekhyun nods, already moving toward the door. "Yes, got it, I'm an idiot."

"So is Chanyeol, if that helps."

Pausing with his shoes half-on, Baekhyun turns to look back at Kyungsoo, peeking over the back of the couch with a grin. "Go," he urges, and Baekhyun trips his way out of the apartment.

He skips more stairs than is probably safe, but gets to the lobby and out the doors in record time. Digging in his pockets for change, he speedwalks toward the subway station but stops at the edge of the apartment building parking lot, staring at a familiar car parked crookedly - Chanyeol’s car. With Chanyeol pacing back and forth beside it.

The two of them lock eyes a moment later, and Baekhyun drops all his quarters at the same time Chanyeol smacks his hip into his left-side mirror.

"Baek-- ouch, christ--"

He stumbles a little, and Baekhyun remembers how to move his legs again. "What are you doing here?" he asks, hurrying over to Chanyeol.

"I was gonna knock on your door," Chanyeol explains, massaging his hip. "I wanted to know if you were okay, you've been acting weird."

Baekhyun bites his lip. "I know. Sorry."

"Don't be sorry, I was just... worried," Chanyeol says with a frown. "I mean, yesterday you left so fast, and today you didn't even come to work, and..." He trails off, staring at Baekhyun.

Baekhyun resists the urge to drop his gaze. If he's going to be real with Chanyeol, it has to be now. "I... I saw you kissing Kyungsoo."

Chanyeol immediately flushes red. "Y-you-- Baek, listen, that wasn't--"

"It's okay," Baekhyun hushes him, stepping closer. "Kyungsoo told me that you guys aren't really... a thing."

"Oh." Chanyeol pauses, looking down. "What else did he tell you?"

Baekhyun watches his face carefully. "He told me there's someone else you like. But you haven't told them because you don't know if they like you back." He swallows hard. "Is that true?"

After a moment, Chanyeol nods. They're standing so close together now, close enough for Baekhyun to watch the blush spread across Chanyeol's face. "Who is it?" he asks softly.

Chanyeol hesitates, a few seconds stretching long in the quiet between them. "It's you," he breathes out shakily. "It was always you."

Baekhyun's heart leaps in his chest. "But why did you-- with Kyungsoo?"

"Because you're my best friend," Chanyeol tells him, smiling a little sadly. "I didn't want to lose that, so I just... never said anything. And then you brought Kyungsoo in and I-- felt something." He rubs the back of his neck, still not looking up. "I'd never felt like that around anyone but you, so I thought-- I thought I could do it."

"Do what?"

"Get over you," Chanyeol says, shaking his head. "Kyungsoo is... cute. He's a little mean, sometimes? But still nice. I thought I could-- you know."

Baekhyun tilts his head, trying to see Chanyeol's face. "Be in love with him?"

"Yeah. But I couldn't. Because I'm still-- still--" He breaks off, blushing terribly red. Baekhyun can't help smiling. He leans closer to get a better look, but Chanyeol chooses that moment to lift his head and meet his gaze again.

"Still what?" Baekhyun asks, quiet.

"I-in love," Chanyeol mumbles. "With you."

His eyes drop to Baekhyun's mouth for a split second and then he's leaning in, one hand on Baekhyun's hip as he brushes their lips together. Baekhyun holds as still as he can with his heart beating out of his chest, sighing out a long, shuddery breath.

Chanyeol pulls back, searching Baekhyun's face. "Is that okay?" he asks, a nervous quaver in his voice.

Baekhyun nods, curling his fingers around Chanyeol's free hand. He feels like he can breathe for the first time in days. "It's more than okay," he says, laughing a little. "I'm just... sorry for taking so long."

Chanyeol raises his eyebrows. "To do what?"

"To stop being an idiot," Baekhyun sighs. "To realize that I wanted... this." He gestures between them, looking up at Chanyeol with an apologetic smile. "You waited a long time for me."

Chanyeol shrugs. "It was worth it." He tugs Baekhyun closer with a grin, but still hesitates for a moment before nuzzling against him. "I can kiss you now, right?"

Baekhyun laughs and turns his head to close the distance himself, pressing their lips together softly. Chanyeol gives a pleased hum against his mouth and lets himself be pulled in. He guides Baekhyun's mouth open easily, nipping at his lips and making Baekhyun shiver when they disconnect--

Or maybe he shivers because it's cold and he's still in pajamas. Chanyeol just laughs and unlocks his car, ushering Baekhyun inside and turning up the heat as high as it will go. Baekhyun resists the urge to crawl across the console and warm up faster in Chanyeol’s lap. There will be time for that later, probably, and his mouth is already red enough.

"Oh, by the way." Chanyeol twists to reach into the backseat and comes back with a takeout container in his hands. "I didn't know if you were sick, or if you had eaten anything, so I thought..."

He trails off as Baekhyun takes the container from him and opens it. It's full of spaghetti. Baekhyun smiles, not sure why he expected anything different. "You wanna share?"

"Oh, but--" Chanyeol stutters "It was supposed to be for you, there's only one fork--"

Baekhyun shrugs, holding up a forkful of noodles to Chanyeol's mouth. "I don't mind if you don't mind."

Chanyeol smiles at him, then puts his hand over Baekhyun's on the fork and pulls him closer. "How romantic," he murmurs, and Baekhyun laughs into his mouth before pressing in for a kiss.


End file.
